Media

The media industry is in the midst of a sweeping digital transformation as advances in technology and infrastructure continue to reshape how, where and when content and information are consumed. We help our clients capitalize on this disruption based on our extensive cross-sector expertise within the industry: we've worked with 7 of 10 global diversified media and entertainment companies, the top 5 B2B information companies and 8 of the 11 leading publishers.

In addition, our Private Equity consultants have extensive experience in the media industry—we’ve helped private equity firms evaluate the merits media deals, completing more than 400 commercial due diligences globally in the past 15 years.

Our perspective

Power is shifting from distributors of content to consumers of content—and those consumers have more control, more choice, more personalization and more interactivity than ever before. This shift is exposing new pressure points and opportunities for media companies:

There are now more ways to reach the consumer. More devices, form factors and ecosystems to consume media make it easier to reach the consumer.

Yet, it is harder to engage consumers. It has become more difficult to break through the noise—given increased audience fragmentation and lower engagement—to reach and retain consumers.

A wealth of direct data exists to gain greater insights. Companies need to develop the organizational capabilities to harness this information in order to inform key strategic decisions.

Faster response times are required. Increased velocity across the industry means that companies must become faster and more efficient in responding to market changes.

Market complexity is increasing. Companies are pursuing a wide range of business models and value propositions to meet the increased demands of consumers.

Platform and technology uncertainty is mounting. Many different platforms are competing for consumers' attention and content owners' distribution rights. In the absence of clear long-term winning models, media companies must make and nurture a savvy portfolio of bets that maximize both their own economic interests and the consumer experience.

This consumer-focused transition is rapidly shifting profit pools and prompting companies to ask the tough questions about their product offerings, their business models, their organizational models and everything in between. Our media consultants work alongside client teams to help them navigate these challenges in order to emerge as winners and market leaders.

Our approach is collaborative and pragmatic. We work to develop tailored recommendations that take into account a company’s unique position in relation to the latest industry trends and consumer influences. We also ensure our clients can continue to capture value from our work in the future through our innovative approach to change management, called Results Delivery®, which seeks to predict, measure and manage the risk associated with change.

Client results

We share our clients' ambitions. We work to understand their reality and deliver true results—focusing on strategic decisions and practical actions. And we align our incentives with our clients' objectives, so they know we're in it together.

We develop insights that work for our clients. Our approach and recommendations are highly customized and lead to practical actions. Visit Bain Insights to read more, or stay current on the topics you care about most by downloading the Bain Insights app today.

We know that differences in regulation, infrastructure and evolving market dynamics around the world mean that no two media companies are alike. We don’t apply a cookie cutter approach; instead we think and act like business partners. Our experienced senior professionals work with our media clients as an integrated team, from frontline to C-suite, to make change stick.